South by Southwest Sydney (SXSW Sydney) began in 2023, as an extension of the well known SXSW that originated in Austin Texas in 1987. The desire of bringing the annual program to Sydney was to reach creatives in the Asia-Pacific region, and to provide creatives with avenues to help reach their aspirations. Whether that be in film, television, music, gaming, tech, the arts, and everything in between, there are over 1,000 events and networking sessions across these pillars that fosters a sense of connection, encourages relationship building, and most importantly, invites people to be a part of a creative collaborative environment.
Earlier this week SXSW Sydney announced that the event will be open to more people; with free events with a more widespread appeal, Conference Day Passes, single movie screenings and Festival Wristbands, including all access 7-day Passes which will be significantly cheaper than the 2024 early bird ticket release (about $400 cheaper).
The 7-day passes go on sale from the 20th of March, with the following two options below:
- [NEW] [LIMITED] Conference Day Pass
- Starting at $295
- This pass includes up to 75+ daily sessions across Tech & Innovation, Business & Leadership, Marketing & Media, Future & Sustainability, Culture & Lifestyle and Creative Industries.
- Starting at $295
- Full Week Conference and Festival Access
- Starting at $495
- This pass allows a broader audience to be a part of the event and includes professional development to help up skill attendees.
- Starting at $495
As well as the above, professional development conferences, The Screen Festival, The Music Festival, and The Games Festival have all expanded their rosters this year. We’ll see more workshops catering to each of the fields, mentoring sessions with various people in the industry, and network meetups, all to help event goers build professional relationships, leadership skills, marketing skills, and foster career growth.
The free program at this year’s SXSW Sydney is also going to be bigger and better than ever. They’ve already got brand and partner experiences planned, with music showcases benign presented from Wednesday to Saturday. And this year, for the first time ever, there will be free access to the Innovation Expo on Saturday, and family free entertainment on Sunday in and around Darling Harbour.
2025 will also bring $25 single session movie screenings for all film screenings, with multi day Festival Wristbands available ($100 during early bird pricing) for either the Screen, Music, or Games Festival showcases.
On the land of the Gadigal people of the Eora Nation, SXSW Sydney will occur on the 13th to the 19th of October 2025, in partnership with the NSW Government.
To find out more information and to start planning your time at SXSW Sydney, click HERE.
Header image credit: Paul McMillan
